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After a long delay, the government has finally announced the much awaited new foreign trade policy (FTP) 2015-2020. The thrust of the new policy is on export promotion, reducing trade transactions costs, e-commerce, services exports and ease of doing business. This policy is in sync with the government”s key initiatives of Make in India and other big ideas like Digital India. But the real test would be to bring about a real change on the ground in terms of quick and seamless implementation which would clearly signal that the economic reforms are back on track and working.
The new foreign trade policy is undoubtedly a novel attempt to boost India”s external sector and increase its share in world exports to 3.5 per cent by 2020 from 2 per cent in 2013-14. It also aims to increase India”s exports to $900 billion by 2020 from $312 billion in 2013-14. Another key feature of the policy is that it will not be revisited annually and will be reviewed only after two and half years to provide a stable policy framework for exporters. Thus, the new foreign trade policy not only provides the much-needed boost to Indian exporters but also re-affirms the fact that trade policy reforms constitutes the core of the country”s economic reforms.
The economic policy in India is increasingly driven by trade policy reforms which, over the last decade, have provided an export-friendly environment with simplified procedures conducive to enhancing export performance. The focus of these reforms has been on liberalisation, transparency and globalisation. Taking this further over the years, every successive government has made efforts to strengthen the export production base, remove procedural irritants and facilitate input availability. In this context, a few key features of the new foreign trade policy that are expected to a give a major boost to the external sector are as follows.
A key highlight of the new trade policy is that the government has done away with the plethora of schemes that existed for export promotion and announced a simplified policy. The policy collapses five earlier schemes for goods exports into one single scheme and has announced another programme for promotion of services exports. The scheme for merchandise goods exports has been named the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) and services programme is called the Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS). These schemes are expected to give a major boost to forward shipments and boost services sectors like medical tourism and accountancy. It is expected that the exporters will gain much more from these two schemes which are different from the export promotion sops that existed in the earlier policy.
With the objective of giving a serious push to the Make in India initiative, the government has provided higher level of rewards under MIES exports with high domestic content and value addition. The government has also reduced the export obligation for capital goods purchased from Indian suppliers under the online casino Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme which will give a major boost to the domestic capital goods industry. This initiative will help exporters develop their productive capacities for both domestic and international consumption.
An important element of India”s Foreign Trade have been the special economic zones which were announced with a lot of fanfare in April 2000. This was done with a view to attract larger foreign investments as well as to overcome the shortcomings experienced on account of the multiplicity of controls and clearances; absence of world-class infrastructure, and an unstable fiscal regime. However, the recently released report of the CAG has critiqued SEZ policy pointing out that they have failed to perform their stated purpose of job creation, and have been reduced in many instances to fraudulent land deals. Therefore, in an effort to revive the floundering special economic zones, the government has extended the incentive schemes for both goods and services (MEIS and SEIS) to units in SEZs as well. This has been done with the hope that this measure will give the much needed impetus to the development and growth of SEZs in the country.
Furthermore, the new policy, apart from focusing on rationalizing tariff structures to enable India to be a part of the mega regionals like Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), has also emphasized on reviving the multilateral system led by the WTO. Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasized that the WTO rules envisage the eventual phasing out of all export subsidies. That is why the new policy is intending to reduce the number of export promotion schemes. This would finally help India phase out the export subsidies. This is considered to be essential to make Indian exports and services internationally competitive. Another area where India”s foreign trade suffers is its poor image because of the quality of its products. The Made in India brand is not well established outside. The new FTP has talked of focusing on quality and standards and make India brand zero defect products. However, the policy does not spell out specific measures to ensure and enhance quality.
Other positive features of the policy include an attempt to achieve greater policy coherence and mainstreaming of all export incentive schemes by the department of commerce. The department will now urge State governments to prepare their own export strategies based on the FTP to boost exports from States. Trade facilitation and ease of doing business by way of online filing of documents and emphasis on paperless trade is another good feature of the FTP.
Undoubtedly, the new foreign trade policy has made an earnest effort to boost India”s external sector and help prepare India to a rapidly changing global environment. In a developing country like India, services constitute one of the fastest growing sector, contributing to more than 50 percent of India”s GDP. Therefore, giving a boost to this sector is commendable. If China is considered to be the world”s manufacturing powerhouse, the same status is given to India in the service sector. Given this backdrop, the FTP has given a further leg-up to the service sector.
Now, the government should try to implement the new policy as quickly and efficiently as possible as it is time India started to make a mark on world markets. In this era of globalisation and marketisation, there is no substitute to export-led growth. Realising this, the new FTP has certainly given the right push and direction to India”s foreign trade. It is a welcome relief to see that economic reforms on the trade front are back on track and in full swing.
(The writer is a Senior Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, Delhi)
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On Friday, Blatter—who has led soccer's governing body since 1998—won re-election as president amid an ongoing corruption probe.» Read More
Investing pros are warning others to be wary of taking on more investing risk, especially in debt securities.
Whether Apple can continue its growth story may boil down to a couple of key factors, analysts tell CNBC.
Amazon is launching a marketplace that will connect businesses with suppliers, accessing a fast-growing market worth more than $8.2 trillion.
Allianz's Mohamed El-Erian explains why he has taken some money out of the public markets, and it has to do with the Federal Reserve.
Pfizer reported a 4 percent drop in quarterly revenue, while Merck posted earnings that topped expectations.
Nearly four in 10 millennials say they worry about their financial future at least once a week.
UPS delivered quarterly earnings that topped analysts' estimates on Tuesday, but revenue came in shy of expectations.
Use the greenback's strength to your advantage and enjoy mighty travel savings abroad.
Bankrate.com looks at how various investments performed over the last 10 years.
Best Buy said it will accept Apple’s digital payment system in its U.S. stores later this year.
As the already $300 billion home remodeling industry begins a new boom, the space is getting even more competitive.
Most consumers who have pre-ordered the Apple Watch will likely have to wait longer than they expected.
Evernote wants to take advantage of the synergy between wearables and other platforms, and bring solutions to professionals.
Despite the decline in the female veteran unemployment rate, women vets still lag behind their male counterparts.
To pay the bills, some 2010 law school graduates have taken on a variety of non-law-related jobs to make ends meet, reports the New York Times.
eBay just released data showing than 90 percent of its small businesses are now exporting on the platform.
Google started issuing fashion trend reports based on search queries twice a year. The NYT reports.
U.S. banks are pushing for a delay of the reporting of corporate bond trades to avoid liquidity related issues.
Nylabone Products recalled one lot of its Puppy Starter Kit dog chews since it might be contaminated with Salmonella.
U.S. services sector expansion eased slightly in April, but the pace of hiring in the sector accelerated to its highest since last June.
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Walmart will raise minimum wage for 100K U.S. workers; and Californians were able to reduce water usage by 13.5% in April, reports CNBC's Sue Herera.
Secret Lives of the Super Rich premieres Thursday at 10p ET/PT.

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State leaders eager to transfer university R&D into commercial products
- Emily Mullin, Staff
Paragon Bioservices represents what many local leaders hope is Baltimore’s economic future.
The 20-year-old contract research and manufacturing firm based at the University of Maryland BioPark is the type of business that could give the city an edge in the life sciences industry. Paragon started as a two-person operation in 1990 at Johns Hopkins University. It recently won a $5 million contract from the U.S. Army to help develop a vaccine for the deadly Ebola virus.
In Baltimore, biotechnology is growing but is still a fledgling industry compared to the robust presence of companies in Montgomery County and other biotech hubs like California and North Carolina. Much of the state’s biotechnology business is situated along the I-270 corridor in close proximity to federal agencies that prop up companies with grants and government contracts.
For Baltimore to take the next step to becoming a biotech hub, it needs more companies to cluster and spin off discoveries and talent. Many of those types of companies are spun out of major research institutions.
In that vein, the city’s leading academic institutions are trying to boost their entrepreneurial efforts and foster the growth of new biotech businesses. Recently, the University System of Maryland said it wants to put more money and resources into ramping up tech transfer efforts from its 11 schools.
At an October meeting, members of the Board of Regents said they want the university system to be an economic engine for the state, spurring job creation from new tech companies that emerge from its campuses.
Maryland is no Silicon Valley, but Maryland Biotechtechnology Center Director Judith Britz sees a bright future for biotech here.
“I see [biotech] maturing,” she said. “We are still a relatively young industry compared with Boston or California.”
Britz said other than funding, tech transfer and intellectual property are the most critical parts of a company getting their product or device to market.
Training college scientists as entrepreneurs and business students as scientists is also key to addressing the needs of Maryland’s business community.
Paragon could be a model for homegrown tech firms. It is trying to create life-saving products that could revolutionize the industry. Currently, there are no vaccines or therapies available for the different Ebola viruses, which have a 90 percent fatality rate among humans.
If Paragon can deliver on its stated goal, it could be the impetus for attracting more federal research dollars, highly-trained employees and private investors to Baltimore.
Paragon isn’t a traditional biotech company but it’s certainly making some waves in the life sciences arena. It has expanded to nearly 50 employees at the BioPark.
Paragon will work with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute to develop and produce vaccines against Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan and Marburg viruses. CEO Marco Chacón, said the company is gearing up for expansion in response to its recent grants. Recently, Paragon more than doubled its space at the BioPark, adding an additional 25,000 square feet of lab space .
Another company with Hopkins ties, a promising future and an entrepreneurial attitude is Gene Facelift. The company was created by Dr. Aaron Tabor, a 1997 graduate of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
The company was born out of Tabor’s nutrition company Physicians Laboratories, which makes protein shakes and other food products to promote weight loss and hair and nail growth.He is funding his new company with revenues from Physicians Laboratories and developing a long-term skin cosmetic appearance using gene reconstruction. The product would replace the collogen in the face and would be an alternative to Botox.
So far, Tabor has tested his product in animals and is looking to move forward with toxicology studies before testing on people.
Tabor, who’s the only full-time employee of his new business so far, said he’s currently looking for an investment partner.
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June 22, 2022
Target is bringing back Deal Days, its answer to Amazon.com’s Prime Day, with deep discounts and gift card rewards across product categories in its stores and at target.com.
“We know customers look forward to Target Deal Days every year. With this year’s event being our biggest event, guests can shop for more amazing deals and items, with three full days to save on must-have products that will bring them joy all summer long and beyond,” Christina Hennington, executive vice president and chief growth officer, Target, said in a statement. “From offering the most sought-after brands in retail and unmatched savings, to multiple convenient fulfillment options in our nearly 2,000 stores, customers can shop Target with ease and confidence, knowing they’re getting a incredible value.”
The promotion, which will run July 11-13, could be just what Target’s general ledger needs to kick off Q3. The retailer lowered its forecast for the second quarter and said it would cut back on merchandise and cancel orders after seeing its operating profit tumble to 5.3% in the first three months of the year, compared to 9.8% in 2021. The chain ended the first trimester with an inventory approximately 43% higher than the previous year.
Target’s event will go hand-in-hand with Prime Day, which runs July 12-13. Amazon has already started offering pre-Prime Day deals to build sales momentum ahead of the promotion. The the stakes are higher this year for Amazon as well after the retail and tech giant posted a first-quarter loss, its first in seven years.
Other retailers, including Best Buy and Walmart, are expected to launch competing sales.
Walmart held its first Walmart+ members-only sale last month (June 2-5). The event, according to Numeratorgenerated larger market baskets for the retailer, with members spending an average of $69.75 per order, which is higher than the average order for walmart.com ($64.99) and Prime Day in 2021 (54. $17).
Groceries played a much bigger role during the Walmart+ weekend with 59% of all orders containing groceries. Seven percent included health and beauty products and six percent household products.
Target is playing groceries as part of Deal Days offering a $10 gift card on $50 food and beverage purchases. It also offers a 25% discount on beauty products.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: How do you expect Target’s Deal Days, Amazon Prime Day and other July sales events hosted by major retailers to compare to their 2021 results? Will Target’s event allow it to break even as it enters the second half of the year?
“With ever-rising gas prices and daily inflation news, America is ready for deals! Prime Day, Deal Days and more are coming at just the right time.”


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The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) is the largest bank in the world by total assets and market capitalisation. It was the first Chinese bank to gain a New Zealand banking registration in this country.
The New Zealand subsidiary of ICBC was established in February 2014 and has just celebrated its third anniversary operating in New Zealand.
At the end of 2016, overall assets for ICBC NZ increased to NZ$900 million, a 20 per cent increase on the previous year. In the same year, retail mortgage lending increased by more than 70 per cent, and lending to the construction sector by 250 per cent.
As the subsidiary matures in New Zealand, it focuses on three areas for future growth: continuing its work as a bridge between the two countries, being creative and innovative, and using its diversity to its advantage.
"ICBC NZ wants to be the most respected Chinese bank in New Zealand, and recognised as an economic, financial, and cultural bridge between New Zealand and China," says Karen Hou, chief executive of ICBC New Zealand.
ICBC's global chairman, Yi Huiman, visited New Zealand last year to meet Government officials and discuss the bank's expansion plans.
Hou says his visit demonstrates the importance the bank places on bridging the two countries.
"Infrastructure investment is a big focus for ICBC NZ," she says.
"Aside from capital, China has significant experience across many infrastructure classes -- including roading, water and energy facilities."
ICBC NZ and its parent bank provided significant financing support to the banking syndication for the Transmission Gully motorway, joined a funding facility for a telecommunications company, and is funding a key gas transmission and distribution network in the North Island.
ICBC NZ director John Dalzell says the China-New Zealand connection deepens local resources.
"Infrastructure programmes can seek extended funding lines through the world's largest lender, and avail themselves of other resources and expertise the bank can offer via its global network."
ICBC is actively working with its customers in China looking to operate here, educating them on investment opportunities available and the expertise needed and assisting them with New Zealand business practice and culture. "New Zealand and China are finding more common ground all the time, but there are still many differences, and it is difficult for a business in one market to enter the other without some kind of conduit," says Hou.
"That is how we see ourselves -- as a bridge to help New Zealand and China take advantage of the opportunities offered in each market."
ICBC NZ wants to be the most respected Chinese bank in New Zealand, and recognised as an economic, financial, and cultural bridge between New Zealand and China.
Over the past three years, ICBC NZ has introduced a series of new products to market to make transactions between China and New Zealand cheaper and more efficient.
It was the first bank in the Southern Hemisphere to offer the dual currency UnionPay credit card, which can be used for New Zealand dollar transactions locally and renminbi in China.
The banks e-mall, introduced here in 2015, provides a platform to link New Zealand's best brands directly to Chinese consumers.
ICBC NZ carefully selects those brands that are most suitable for the bank's discerning customers in China.
There are now more than 60 brands on the e-mall, including honey, chocolate and organic cosmetics -- products that best showcase pure New Zealand.
"The bank is very selective about the brands and the suppliers selling into China," says Hou.
"We take particular care to make sure all products sold through our e-mall are genuine and of a consistently high standard."
We want to hire the best people for the bank -- having a diverse team has allowed us to be innovative in our thinking for new products and services.
The bank is working with New Zealand Post, allowing customers in China to order through the online platform, and receive its products direct from New Zealand.
Money received from the sale can be put into the exporter's account either in renminbi or converted into New Zealand dollars.
Recently ICBC introduced its mobile banking app to New Zealand, that along with more traditional e-banking services (including management of accounts, term deposits and loans) allows the transfer of funds between China and New Zealand in three currencies: New Zealand dollar, Chinese renminbi, and United States dollar.
Though international transfer of funds has in the past been a difficult and lengthy process, funds transferred between international ICBC accounts can be done instantaneously, with significantly reduced transfer costs.
Hou, who has worked for ICBC's Head Office in China, Korea, Europe and Latin America prior to heading up the New Zealand subsidiary, says the trick to being successful when doing business between China and New Zealand is having a management team, board, and staff that reflect both regions.
"ICBC NZ has a diversified team who understand how the mix of cultures align and differ."
ICBC New Zealand has grown from 23 people in 2014 to a staff of 50. Hou says that by Christmas, the bank expects to have 60 employees, mostly Kiwis from countries including New Zealand, UK, China, Sri Lanka, South Africa and India.
Hou says ICBC's family-focused culture and opportunities for career progression have attracted many talented employees.
"We want to hire the best people for the bank -- having a diverse team has allowed us to be innovative in our thinking for new products and services."
Milestones of ICBC NZ
• February 2014 -- formally opened and started operation in New Zealand.
• June 2014 -- issued first dual currency Unionpay debit card and credit card, the first Unionpay credit card in the southern hemisphere.
• December 2014 -- introduced VISA Paywave into New Zealand.
• July 2015 -- signed RMB Strategic Alliance MOU with ANZ, Westpac, BNZ and ASB.
• October 2015 -- ICBC and China Central Depository & Cleaning Co co-hosted 'China Bond Market' seminar in Auckland.
• November 2015 -- launched ICBC e-commerce platform 'E-Mall' in New Zealand.
• February 2016 -- joined Bulk Electronic Clearing System for transfers between New Zealand banks.
• December 2016 -- launched updated version of mobile banking application


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Since the state of Ohio legalized cannabinoidoil (CBD) sales, stores offering the marijuana and hemp-based product have proliferated.
Now, CBD oils derived from hemp can be sold in Ohio outside the medical marijuana program, according to the State Medical Board of Ohio.
But what is CBD good for and who can use it?Two CBD retailers in Tallmadge and Canton/Kent
Two area stores selling CBD products — Purely CBD, which has a location in Canton and will open a store in Kent at 1705 E. Main St. on Tuesday, and Seven Grains in Tallmadge — have slightly different approaches to the products.
“As you know, medical marijuana is legal here in Ohio, and people are taking it for pain and anxiety and things of that nature,” said Lance Jones, franchise owner of the Kent and Canton Purely CBD stores.
He said, and Seven Grains co-owner Gina Krieger agreed, CBD can help a variety of conditions, including pain, anxiety, depression and more.
“I have RNs come in all the time who use themselves, or get it for their husbands or wives,” said Krieger. “There is research that says, ‘Yes, there are benefits to it.’ There’s also been research that shows it helps people get off opioid addiction.”
She said CBD’s calming effects can take the edge off for people with opioid addictions. She said it’s also been used to help treat attention deficit disorder in children.
“My father is 86; he takes it every day, and it’s helped him dramatically,” said Krieger. “Other success stories are from people who come in here every day and tell us they’re down from 20 medications to taking just two after taking CBD.”
Seven Grains also includes a variety of vitamins, supplements and organic, clean food, and the CBD products take up just a small percentage of shelf space; however, Purely CBD sells only CBD products.
“Our average demographic is 55-year-old and older women,” said Jones. “If you get a product at somewhere like a gas station or local vape shop, you don’t know exactly what’s in that product. When you get a product from Purely CBD, you know exactly what that product is.”
Jones said all the products he sells are lab tested for THC levels before packing to ensure labels advertising “broad spectrum” or “full spectrum” CBD are accurate. “Broad spectrum” products have no THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, which is also still regulated federally. On the other hand, “full spectrum” products have THC up to the federal limit of .3%.
Using “broad spectrum” products may work better for employees subject to random drug testing, explained Jones.
If patients are truly interested in the curative qualities of CBD oil, why bother with “full spectrum” products?
“Perhaps the CBD works better with the THC,” said Jones.
Krieger, who sells only PlusCBD products, agrees that is the case. Philosophically, she also prefers to sell pure products from her store, and said what Jones calls “broad spectrum” products most likely require turpenes, an additive that works with the CBD.
According to PurelyCBD.net, the terpenes also add help improve the taste of CBD products.
For example, Jones said his broad spectrum gummies are among his most popular products.
“For some reason, CBD and melatonin just happen to work well together,” he said of the mix included in the gummies. “Those gummies just fly off our shelves; it’s repeat customers.”
Purely CBD offers gummies, tinctures, lotions, coffee, massage oils, pet tinctures, bath bombs, capsules, water solubles and honey steaks, according to Jones. Dosages range from around 300 milligrams to 3,000 milligrams. High dosages of 1,500 and 3,000 milligrams are designed for those undergoing cancer treatment, he added.
Krieger said her products, partially because they have THC, feature smaller dosages ranging from 2 milligrams to 15 milligrams on the high end. She also said more is not necessarily better because everyone’s endocannabinoid receptors are different.
She also said, as the proprietor of a natural food store, she takes very seriously the sourcing of the CBD products she sells.
“Most hemp is sprayed with glyphosate,” she said. “Where is the hemp from that you’re extracting CBD oil from? Who is extracting it? These are all questions we ask as natural food stores. We know how it can be done to shortcut or maximize profits. When it’s done that way, it compromises integrity.”
A matter of perspective: two doctors’ views
Now that CBD is unambiguously legal in Ohio, questions surrounding its effectiveness become more important.
Two doctors seem to view the research from two different perspectives. Dr. Ryan Marino of University Hospitals’ Cleveland Medical Center and Dr. Glenn Copeland, chief executive officer of Copeland Biosciences which is based in Toronto, both agree the research into the effectiveness of CBD products is not conclusive.
“This does seem to be an active area of research,” said Marino. “There have been studies that don’t show conclusive benefits. If people have a trustworthy source, there’s probably very little downside to using actual CBD itself.”
He said he views CBD products as occupying a similar space in treatment of conditions as essential oils.
“Essential oils don’t really have any scientific data that they treat any specific condition,” said Marino. “[CBD] is definitely a very growing economic area; there’s lots of money to be made.”
While Copeland agrees there aren’t many large-scale studies demonstrating clearly the benefits of CBD oil, he said “there’s another side to medicine.”
“That’s the anecdotal side,” he said. “We've used many things in medicine because people told us it works.”
Aspirin is a perfect example. When it was discovered, he said, doctors didn’t understand why it helped with fever and blood-clotting; they just knew it did. With CBD, the situation is similar; whether there’s something about the product that helps with certain conditions or it’s a placebo effect is uncertain, but anecdotally, there’s evidence the product works. The key for him: there appears to very limited downside to using CBD, particularly in topical form.
He also said CBD use appears to work well in conjunction with other treatments, including laser therapy and high energy shock waves.
Among professional athletes he knows who’ve used CBD, he said about two of three have experienced positive results while one of three has not.
Copeland also said CBD with THC seems to work a bit faster than products without it.
Human Resources quandary
The regulatory environment surrounding CBD makes life for company owners complicated, with CBD being legal at the federal level with up to .3% THC, marijuana being illegal and the presence of illegal, recreational smoking.
Gary Pellegrino Sr., president of Natural Essentials in Aurora, said he operates his business as a drug-free workplace. For him, that means alcohol, heroin and a variety of other drugs, including marijuana, are forbidden. However, CBD and medical marijuana make things distinctly complicated for him and other business owners.
“If you test positive for THC, the first time you’re going to meet with an officer who’s going to sit down and talk about usage,” he said. “If you test positive for THC the second time around, you’re terminated.”
Because THC is detectable for long after its use, Pellegrino said he waits at least 45 days after the first positive test to administer the second one.
The difficulty THC tests present in the current regulatory environment is there’s no way to determine whether a positive test is due to recreational marijuana (which is illegal at the federal and state levels), medical marijuana (illegal at the federal level and legal now at the state level with a prescription) or a CBD product including THC.
Those taking medical marijuana must provide a copy of a prescription and stay home until they’re off the medication and then add 45 days, he explained. That works for employees on medical marijuana for short periods, but not for those who are treating chronic pain.
Dr. Diane DeRubertis, a professor with Kent State University’s College of Business and a human resources consultant to companies, said she generally advises companies to run drug-free workplaces.
“Most people are advising employers to stick with their drug-free programs and implement some sort of marijuana policy,” she said. “In that structure, individuals have the chance go through rehab and come back to the workplace.”
She said the patchwork of state and federal regulations governing marijuana and CBD is becoming “very complex.”
“When THC comes up positive, it just says you have some in your system; we don’t know how much,” said DeRubertis. “There really isn’t a separation of medical marijuana and recreational use. Nobody says, ‘Well, this is medical and that’s recreational;’ it’s still marijuana.”
Pellegrino said the reason for that is the potential impairment that could result from use, medical or otherwise. Safety for his workers is his bottom line.
DeRubertis said she would like to see marijuana taken off the federal Schedule 1 drug, which places it currently alongside heroin and Oxycontin.
Pellegrino, who is beginning to develop two CBD products in case he’s sometime able to sell them across state lines to major retailers, said he would like to see decisions made at the federal level to legalize interstate commerce. He also would like to see decisions regulating the amount of THC and CBD in products. For help with the human resources issues, he said he would like to know clearly at what levels people taking marijuana or CBDs are impaired, similar to how blood-alcohol tests work for alcohol.
DeRubertis said she believes research into a more precise testing device which measures percentages of THC in the system is in development. In the meantime, she said companies, for now, are prevailing in the courts in cases involving drug use in the workplace. A clear policy has, to date, been good enough protection against lawsuits, she explained.
Reporter Bob Gaetjens can be reached at 330-541-9440, firstname.lastname@example.org or @bobgaetjens_rpc.


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After nearly ten years of service in Japan, it finally comes to an end for Mobile Suit Gundam Online on March 30th 2022. According to Bandai Namco, the decision was made due to “changes in future development and services” at the studio. The large-scale Gundam game for PC will hold a 9th anniversary event with rewards for players. Multiple updates will be released leading up to March 2022 and more details are available here. Mobile Suit Gundam Online first released on December 25th 2012 in Japan.
Stay tuned at Final Weapon for the latest Japanese gaming news and updates!


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Millennial investors aren't feeling too good about Google ahead of earnings (GOOGL)
- Google-parent Alphabet is scheduled to report earnings after the closing bell Monday.
- Ahead of earnings, investors on the app Robinhood were selling shares rather than buying.
- Follow Alphabet stock in real-time here.
Millennial investors aren't so keen on Alphabet this earnings season, data from the stock-trading app Robinhood shows.
Ahead of the company's earnings report Monday afternoon, investors on the no-fee app, which caters to a significantly younger user base than other brokerages, were selling shares 9% more than they were buying.
That's a markedly different sentiment from last quarter, Dr. Sahill Poddar, Robinhood's data scientist, told Business Insider. "They were buying Alphabet 80% more than they were selling ahead of the previous earnings report," he said in an email.
Alphabet is the 21st most-held stock on Robinhood. By comparison, Apple ranks number one with more than five times the popularity, according to the app's website.
Wall Street analysts polled by Bloomberg expect Alphabet to report adjusted earnings of $12.07 a share on revenue of $24.3 billion.
Shares of Alphabet are up 0.39% so far this year.
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Hermes has opened its first beauty boutique in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to a report published by Harpers Bazaar.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has revealed that the country’s cosmetics exports hit a record high last year, swelling 21.3 percent yoy to reach KRW10.5 trillion, according to a report published by Yonhap News.
Amazon has been ramping up spend on its nascent livestreaming arm, Amazon Live, according to a report published by the Financial Times.
E.l.f. Cosmetics has announced the launch of a new collection, Game Up, which combines the gaming world and metaverse with make-up and skin care.
L’Oréal-owned Lancôme has relaunched onto the Indian market, according to a report published by Mint.
Medmix-owned Geka has announced that it is releasing its first sustainability report, outlining its commitment to and progress towards its environmental goals.
Shark and Boucleme have announced plans to launch a strategic venture designed to help people embrace their curly hair.
Authentic Brands has settled and agreed to dismiss its lawsuit against checkout tech firm Bolt. Both companies plan to continue the partnership offering seamless one-click checkout to ABC’s brands Forever 21 and Lucky Brand.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating Amazon over concerns that practices affecting sellers on its UK Marketplace may be anti-competitive and could result in a worse deal for customers.
Ulta Beauty is collaborating with beauty magazine Allure and bringing a curated selection of 25,000 products to its online and bricks & mortar stores, according to a report by Vogue.


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Uzbekistan is trying out marijuana again. A Franco-Uzbek joint company will begin growing commercial hemp, which consists of low amounts of the spirit-altering tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in the Khorezm area, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said this month. The fibers of this plant have various usages: for paper, ropes, building materials and fabrics. In numerous ways, hemp looks a great deal like the well-known Uzbek cash crop, cotton. However hemp makes use of less water, the international ministry had claimed, a truth that should delight farmers in the rapidly running out area.
The president Shavkat Mirziyoyev checked in March a law permitting industrial farming of hemp including up to 0.2% THC "for industrial purposes unrelated to the manufacturing or manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic compounds", which stay illegal. (Comparative, cannabis legally cost recreational use in Massachusetts can contain as much as 0.3 % THC).
Scientists think for marijuana to possibly be a major part of the environment-friendly economy in the upcoming years, with the inclusion of France. The marijuana plant has its very own advantages as well as calls for practically 5 times much less hydration in contrast to cotton. In addition, research studies acknowledge cannabis as a waterless material.
The development as well as farming of such plants can be a state monopoly in Uzbekistan. Most of the types of cannabis are currently made use of in paper, pharmaceutical, light, and a number of various other markets.
According to the United Nations, However, the first country in Central Asia to continue manufacture hemp isn’t Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan is Central Asia's largest manufacturer of marijuana, representing 97 percent of the marijuana offered in Central Asia. Central Asia has a suitable climate for growing cannabis. The cannabis plant, which is belonging to the area, covers the hills and also stubbornly dawns in city parks. Historical proof suggests that cannabis was made use of in Central Asia 6 or even more years ago, which it spread out along the very first trade routes with Europe as well as East Asia.


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Alphabet's drone delivery company, Wing, is really starting to take off (pun intended). While Wing already delivers packages in multiple countries, weight has been a limiting factor. The company's latest drone should help solve that.
Wing's current lineup of drones is already pretty impressive. They can deliver packages up to six miles away (for a round trip of 12 miles) and travel at 65 miles per hour. But they can only haul a 2.5 pound package, which means for many deliveries, Wing needs to send multiple drones to fulfill an entire order. Despite that, Wing says it has completed over 350,000 deliveries.
Wing's new drone is capable of the same 12-mile round trip and can even reach the same top speed of 65mph. But this one can pick up a 5-pound package, double the other drone model. That should let Wing accomplish more deliveries with fewer drones.
Wing currently works with Walmart in the US for deliveries, and supplies like deodorant and shampoo can add up pretty quickly. The older drone model isn't going away, though. Wing likens its choice to how airliners and delivery companies like UPS maintain multiple vehicle types to fit the best scenario. For a shorter trip with a lighter package, it makes sense to send the smaller drone, freeing up the new drone for larger deliveries. We've already seen prototypes for other potential drone models, including one specializing in very small packages, such as medications.
Drone deliveries weren't possible at all until recent regulation changes. Historically, those regulations required drone operators to keep line of sight with the drone. If you couldn't see it, it wasn't allowed to fly. That made drone deliveries impossible: an observer would have had to follow the drone to the target location. At that point, you could hire a delivery driver instead. However, several companies, including Wing, managed to secure permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to complete deliveries without line of sight. But even then, most of Wing's deliveries currently happen in Australia: we have a long way to go before the average person will see a drone show up in their yard with their latest Amazon purchase.


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Aldi is set to become the first UK supermarket to remove plastic packaging on multipacks of tinned tuna and replace it with a sustainable alternative.
Later this year, the supermarket has plans to sell four-packs of Tuna Chunks in Brine with a cardboard sleeve, instead of plastic, in over 270 of its stores nationwide.
If the four-month trial is deemed a success, the new recyclable sleeve is expected to be further rolled out and implemented in more than 830 UK stores, which will, in turn, save over eleven tonnes of plastic each year.
As Aldi aspires to phase out all hard-to-recycle-plastics such as undetectable black plastics, PVC and expanded polystyrene by the end of 2020, several other packaging initiatives are scheduled to go to trial over the next few months.
Aldi also plans to launch recyclable coloured ready meal trays, made from recycled bottles and containers, across all its stores. They will initially be used for Aldi’s Inspired Cuisine range, which consists of several meals such as Shepherd’s pie, and have scope to be expanded further. If introduced across all ready meal products, projections estimate the initiative to save around 420 tonnes of non-recyclable black plastic a year.
Moreover, the supermarket intends to make all its own label packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022, and reduce plastic packaging by 25 percent by the end of 2023.


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In a new update to its platform, Twitter has added a simple and easy option of promoting tweets that boosts tweets without having to run ad campaigns. The functionality has been discovered by social media expert Matt Navarra.
The Boost your Tweet option can be accessed directly from the tweet window. Tapping it would display budget and duration options that users can choose from. Doing this would show an estimated reach in terms of number of people. After users confirm their selection, their tweets will be automatically boosted.
The option appears like a more refined version of the Quick Promote tool for tweets that relies on basic ad targeting to reach a broader audience in the app.
Twitter has not revealed any details regarding the udpate as of yet.


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Despite widespread use of artificial intelligence, only 11% of companies say they see a significant financial return on their investment, according a new study by Boston Consulting Group in partnership with MIT Sloan Management Review.
The low yield was revealed in a global survey of more than 3,000 managers with 57% saying they have piloted or deployed AI, a significant increase over three years ago.
The authors of the study reported that companies can get the basics of AI right with the right data, technology, talent and strategy, but still see low ROI. “Only when organizations add the ability to learn with AI do significant benefits become likely,” the authors said. “With organizational learning, the odds of an organization reporting significant financial benefits increases to 73%.”
The elements of learning with AI require companies to have a combination of machines learning autonomously, humans teaching machines and machines teaching humans. Deploying the appropriate interaction modes for human-machine interactions is “critical,” according to the report.
Organizations need to make extensive changes to many processes with AI to receive the best ROI. Sometimes the changes will even be” uncomfortable,” as the authors put it. “Organizational learning with AI demands, builds on and leads to significant organizational change.”
The report describes the experience of several organizations that have deployed AI. They include Repsol, a global energy and utility in Spain with more than 100 digital transformation projects that use AI in some manner, from drilling operations to retail service stations. AI is used to optimize the drilling of productive wells, reducing nonproductive time by up to 50% across 30 sites. AI is also used to prepare personalized offers for 8 million customers at 5,000 service stations with 400,000 offers each day with an increase in sales. The improvement in sales equals the value of having more service stations, up to 4.5%.
“Repsol does more than teach machines to drill, blend and serve,” the report says. “In effect, Repsol changed its processes to continuously learn with AI. Process improvements beget new behaviors and new human knowledge which is then fed back to machines. These dynamics play out continuously. Repsol’s ability to learn with AI is fundamental to obtaining significant benefits with AI."
The report endorses an organizational approach that views AI as a system of advanced, self-learning algorithms and underlying technology to produce a desire outcome.
“The key thesis of this report is about the imperative and benefits of creating a system in which both AI and humans perform better together to drive a desired outcome such as a critical business decision such as how to reopen stores during COVID or a creative design of a product or a difficult medical diagnosis,” said Shervin Khodabandeh, senior partner at BCG, via email.
“For example," he added, "a car designer may use AI to render multiple physical designs of a vehicle based on a set of objectives and constraints — the AI and the designer then work together to perfect the design and deliver a stronger finished product."
The survey’s finding of 57% of companies having AI pilots or deployed solutions in 2020 is up from 44% in 2018. Also, 59% said they have an AI strategy, up from 39% in 2017.
The full report is online.


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MotoGP has released the full list of circuits that have been nominated for private testing by the manufacturers with six tracks chosen.
With the two days of Jerez test done to prepare for the 2022 MotoGP season, the manufacturers have now set-up the list of circuits which will be used up for private testing throughout next year as part of the regulations.
Among the six MotoGP manufacturers, only Aprilia’s list hasn’t been released as they have more days in their books due to concessions. Suzuki were the last to have those before they started winning races and even took the championship.
The circuits selected are Aragon, Jerez, Red Bull Ring, Mugello, Misano and Motegi, with the latter being the only track outside Europe. Naturally, it will be used up by the Japanese manufacturer Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha – being their home circuit.
Only KTM will use Red Bull Ring, likewise Mugello only features on Ducati’s list, while Jerez features on the list of all the five manufacturers. Aragon has three takers, whereas Misano has two in all.
Here’s the full list by MotoGP:
KTM – The Red Bull Ring, Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, MotorLand Aragon.
Ducati – Mugello International Circuit, Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncalli.
Honda – Twin Ring Motegi, Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncalli.
Suzuki – Twin Ring Motegi, Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, MotorLand Aragon.
Yamaha – Twin Ring Motegi, Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, MotorLand Aragon
Meanwhile, MotoGP also released the full rider list for the 2022 season with the addition of rookies like Remy Gardner, Raul Fernandez, Marco Bezzecchi, Darryn Binder and Fabio di Giannantonio. There numbers are 87, 25, 12 and 40 where the latter’s number hasn’t been confirmed, even though he used 49 in the Jerez test.
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 22, 2021
Here’s how final day of Jerez MotoGP test was


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Already for the third time “Frankfurt Digital Finance Conference” brought together top-executives, investors, entrepreneurs, academics and policy makers. All together more than 60 top-class speakers, round about 300 guests on site and additional 1.000 guests online met on the special date of 2-2-2022 in Frankfurt.
As hybrid event for the first time the conference combined personal get-together at the Zoo Palais with a virtual conference platform, offering tailor made networking opportunities and social media applications. Co-founder MIT is proud of having successfully realized again this flagship networking event that has become a well-known platform for the future of the European financial industry.
“All signs are pointing to transformation – Frankfurt Digital Finance Conference is an example of this. The event brings people, perspectives and technologies together in one place. This is how we have become a platform for solutions for the future of the industry,” says Max Hunzinger, co-founder of Frankfurt Digital Finance.


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CHAMPLIN, Minn. (FOX 9) - The owners of a pick-your-own berry farm in Champlin, Minnesota are hanging up their baskets after 42 years.
In a letter to their customers, the owners of the Bauer Berry Farm, Bill and Nancy Bauer, announced 2019 was their final picking season.
The pair started their farming operation in 1977 with the help of Nancy’s parents and their two sons. The farm allowed customers to pick their own strawberries and blueberries as well as sweet corn.
Now that it is just the two of them, however, the Bauers said they have decided to retire from the “arduous and stressful lifestyle” of operating a pick-your-own berry farm.
“Our bodies are worn out and it is time to move on to the next chapter,” the Bauers told their customers.
In their parting letter, the Bauers said they have been “blessed with lasting relationships with many repeat customers” and what kept them going for so many years was seeing all their eager faces.
“In the end, we have been even been growing berries for the grandchildren of our first pickers,” they said.
The Bauers are encouraging their customers to look for other pick-your-own farms in the area using the website minnesotagrown.com.


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SWITZERLAND and SINGAPORE - EQS Newswire - 10 January 2022 - Headquartered in Australia
and with operations in more than 27 countries, EML Payments Ltd (EML) provides
an innovative global payment solutions platform, with years of experience in
delivering secure payment solutions. Wherever money is in motion, their agile
technology can power the payment process, so money can be moved quickly,
conveniently, and securely. They work in partnership with their customers
wherever they are, to deliver better outcomes for them. EML has just partnered
with Netcetera, to implement their
state-of-the-art Access Control Server (ACS) including a Risk Based
Authentication (RBA) solution. Netcetera's globally certified 3DS product is a
perfect match for EML, ensuring secure online payments across all card networks
and reducing the risk of fraudulent transactions.
Since early 2021, EML were on the lookout for a reliable ACS provider to
authenticate a high number of online transactions and protect customers against
fraud. Through warm recommendations from payment scheme contacts, they were
referred to Netcetera. The multinational software dynamo with roots in
Switzerland has developed the 3DS Issuer Service with pre-integrated risk
scoring from INFORM. The Netcetera ACS is based on a modular system, has an
integrated Out of Band (OOB) authentication method, a comprehensive reporting
engine, extensive, customizable features, modern and user-friendly
administration portal, and standardized web services & API's enabling
faster onboarding, which was just what EML was looking for.
As an EMVCo associate and
market leader for secure payments with 3-D Secure products that are certified
with all major card networks, Netcetera operates a PCI DSS- & PCI
3DS-certified system, complying with the highest security standards. Netcetera
was an obvious choice for EML. Over 30 million cards worldwide are protected by
their 3-D Secure Issuing Service, which allows frictionless online payment
while authenticating transactions securely across all channels and devices,
thus preventing online fraud. With over 20 years of serving customers all over
the globe, Netcetera has combined experience with innovation and staying ahead
of the curve.
Both companies are thrilled
about the new collaboration, with EML's Group Fraud Manager, Patrick
O'Shaughnessy, commenting "I am very pleased to welcome Netcetera as our
ACS+RBA provider. Netcetera's product guarantees payment security and has added
a highly effective card-not-present authentication solution to our offer."
Head of APAC Sales & Partnerships, Nitin Palande says "As an
independent technology provider, we pride ourselves on offering the best new
solutions on the market. We think about how the latest technology can support
card issuers and banks' needs and requirements in a fast-changing market".
File: Media release Netcetera EML
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.


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Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, the UK’s leading tour operator and prominent leisure airline, has announced their Summer Sun programme for 2025 from Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
For Summer 2025, Jet2 has made 23 summer destinations available from Liverpool John Lennon Airport including three exciting new routes: Malaga, Malta, and Reus. These fresh additions, along with increased capacity to other destinations, signify a significant expansion of their second Summer Sun programme from the airport. An extra aircraft will be deployed at the airport during Summer ’25 to support the expansion.
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays are making flights and holidays to popular sunshine destinations in the Canaries, Balearics, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Portugal available for booking. This comprehensive programme release is in response to strong customer demand, allowing travellers to secure their Summer ’25 vacations.
During peak periods in Summer ’25, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays plan to operate nearly 70 weekly departing flights from Liverpool. Key highlights for Summer Sun 2025 from Liverpool include:
* 23 sun destinations (peak weekly flights indicated).
* Introduction of three new routes: Malaga (3), Malta (1), and Reus (2).
* A wide range of destinations, including Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Alicante, Palma, Ibiza, Menorca, Faro, Madeira, Crete, Corfu, Kos, Rhodes, Zante, Paphos, and Bulgaria.
John Irving, CEO Liverpool John Lennon Airport commented, ‘We are all looking forward to our new partnership and welcoming Jet2.com and Jet2holidays customers for Summer 2024 and are therefore absolutely delighted that Summer 2025 is now on sale too. This will bring 14 more weekly departures with flights to 23 destinations including 3 new routes compared to their Summer 2024 programme, with an additional 5th Jet2.com aircraft to be based here at Liverpool too.’
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: ‘Since announcing the launch of flights and holidays from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, we have been absolutely staggered by the incredible response from customers and independent travel agents across the region. We are seeing very strong demand from customers and independent travel agents wanting to book their Summer Sun early and get the best availability and choice. As the UK’s largest tour operator, we have listened to what our customers are telling us and reacted by putting our Summer 25 Sun programme on sale from Liverpool John Lennon Airport nice and early.’
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays are the first in the industry to offer bookings for Summer ’25 flights and holidays.


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Does Budweiser deserve the praise for offering Super Bowl ad to COVID vaccine efforts?
The brand is offering its usual big media slot to COVID-19 efforts, but the move isn’t completely altruistic. Here’s why one PR pro thinks the campaign doesn’t necessarily deserve all the kudos.
On the “Today Show” this morning, Budweiser’s vice president of marketing chatted through the brand’s decision to not run a Super Bowl ad for the first time since the early 1980s.
The decision to not do so and instead reallocate those funds to raise vaccine awareness is a welcome development. With more than 400,000 dead and tens of millions infected from the novel coronavirus, corporations like Budweiser are acting responsibly and thinking much more broadly about the value they deliver, not only to customers and shareholders, but to society at large.
The question is not whether the move is the right thing to do. Undoubtedly it is. But does Budweiser deserve the widespread news media praise for what, on its face, seems like a simple decision? In a word: No.
In 2020, the average media buy for a 30-second Super Bowl ad approached nearly $6 million. Add to the mix production costs, agency fees, licensing, and other campaign elements, and organizations are looking at a substantial amount of money. Under normal circumstances, such an enormous expenditure and the associated ROI is open to debate. Under our current circumstances, there isn’t much of a debate.
The confluence of events over the past year, including the coronavirus pandemic, economic upheaval, pervasive systemic racism, staggering political polarization, and widespread mental health concerns have collectively transformed societal expectations for brands. No longer simply beholden to shareholders, brands now have a responsibility to a much broader set of stakeholders: employees, customers, suppliers, investors, regulators and the communities in which they operate. While underlying trends of so-called “stakeholder capitalism” have been underway for quite some time, the timeline for brands to act on their values and broader purpose continues to rapidly accelerate.
A brand’s reputation is, arguably, its most important intangible asset. It cuts across all aspects of a business. So, when marketing decisions are made, they can no longer be made in a vacuum without considering the broader implications of how such a decision will be perceived by society.
Consider this for a moment: If Budweiser and others decided to run a Super Bowl ad, what would the response be? Most likely, people would be fine with it. But let’s also consider the possibility of how such a decision plays against the backdrop of what’s going on in the Unites States and across the globe. Are the millions of dollars typically earmarked for a Super Bowl spot worth the ROI of selling more beer in the short-term, or is it a better play to use that money to raise vaccine awareness and help save lives? It’s tough to argue against Budweiser’s decision.
At the end of the day, this is a great story. I’m thrilled to see Budweiser and other brands taking a leadership position and acting responsibly to combat the coronavirus pandemic. But I come back to my original question: Should we lavish so much praise on these brands for something that responsible corporate entities should be doing? Yes, they deserve credit. But in our collective new normal, this should be table stakes for brands. And when you consider the goodwill this will engender over the long-term with stakeholders, we are left with a simple conclusion: This is probably the easiest marketing decision Budweiser has ever made.
Matthew Panichas is a vice president for client service at Hot Paper Lantern
This bright writer questions: “Should we lavish so much praise on these brands for something that responsible corporate entities should be doing?”
He says: “In a word: No.”
“When you consider the goodwill this will engender,” he concludes, “this is probably the easiest marketing decision Budweiser ever made.”
But look at the truth. Is donating over $5 million an easy decision? If that big a donation is something that a responsible company “should” be doing,” how many other companies can the writer cite as as doing it? Does the writer name another company that has given even 1% that much money in order to protect our lives?
It may be even more than $5 million because many other companies may be led by this newsworthy example to decide that yes, they should also be doing something to protect us. And is it ridiculous to call giving away over $5 million easy?
“Give and ye shall receive,” the Bible counsels, and PR wisdom is that this is true. But nowhere except here do I see it suggested that if your account gets benefit from giving to protect our lives, that makes the account any less worthy of lavish praise for safeguarding us.
Getting benefit for a client isn’t easy and is good. When corporate charity guru Carol Cone sold her donation-centered PR firm to a huge firm for huge money, another justly famous PR firm came along and hired as an individual Carol Cone!
The pandemic reminds us that any of us can be killed by disease so all of us have reason to feel deeply grateful to a company that fights disease and guards our survival. The pandemic also teaches that although giving away over $5 million is far from easy, PR executives may show major PR wisdom when they counsel management as the Bible does to give that we may receive.


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The reports said the new iPhone will support headphones with either the existing Lightning connector or via Bluetooth, and these new headphones will be sold with the new handset. It is expected that Apple may also sell a converter that would allow users to plug in their ‘old’ standard 3.5 mm headphones to newer phones.
Getting rid of the headphone jack would help Apple to shrink the iPhone 7 by one mm (0.04 in). By comparison, its latest smartphone, the iPhone 6s, is 7.1 mm (0.27) thick. Such a shift would also mean larger, stereo headphones using an internal battery would be able to draw power directly from the iPhone, or other devices, if the change is enforced across the Apple board.
Elsewhere, Lightning-based headphones would experience less ‘crosstalk’, or signal interference. Lightning-connected earphones are already available from third-party manufacturers such as Philips’ Fidelio and blxbuds australia but Apple could be looking to monopolise the market.
In the past, the company has famously ditched support for hardware and software once it believes it has become obsolete. It was the first to remove the floppy disk’s slot from its computers in 1998, and it more recently did away with all but one USB-C ports on its laptops, as well as Flash on iOS. Its Lightning charging technology was then brought into replace Apple’s previous 30-pin charger in 2012.


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Apple is putting away its original smart speaker, HomePod, and will instead put its energy in the smaller version, the HomePod Mini. That’s what the Cupertino, Calif.-Based tech company told TechCrunch, noting that the speaker will continue to be supported, but the HomePod Mini will be the smart speaker it produces. in the future.
It’s the second high-end device that Apple quietly put aside last week, with the first the iMac Pro, a $ 4,999 desktop computer. Now the HomePod, which debuted in 2017 and hit the market in 2018 at $ 349, joins the iMac Pro and will only be sold while supplies last, according to Apple’s website. (The color space gray is already sold out.)
Apple will continue to sell the HomePod Mini for $ 99
HomePod vs the other guys
HomePod was Apple’s first foray into a dedicated standalone smart speaker, more than three years after Amazon launched the Amazon Echo speaker for its Alexa voice assistant, and more than a year after Google launched the Google Home speaker for its Google Assistant. HomePod was a space for Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, which debuted on the iPhone 4s in 2011.
The HomePod’s price came as a shock, even when Apple dropped it to $ 299, significantly higher than most smart speakers from Amazon and Google – although very much in line with the premium speaker from Google, the Google Home Max, which launched around the same time at $ 399. But Apple, which is never stranger to putting a high price on its products, cited not only the speaker design, but also the quality of the tweeters and woofers. The HomePod, while a home for Siri, was then classified more for its use as a high-end audio device – and less as a way for Apple users to ask the voice assistant of turn the lights off.
Google and Amazon quickly continued down this path, with Google focusing in particular on high-end speakers like the Nest Audio, but at a much more user-friendly price tag of $ 99. Apple has also started going the mini-route, as well as a cheaper route, launching the new HomePod Mini in 2020 for $ 99, still focusing on sound, but now at a price point more in line with its competition.
Apple put a lot of emphasis on the quality of the original HomePod speakers and how it contained seven tweeters and a subwoofer when it launched.
HomePod Mini vs HomePod
Apple also updated the HomePod in 2020. And while the HomePod Mini differs from the updated HomePod in size and price, there are a few features that separate the two. The HomePod Mini relies on the S5 chip inside to optimize sound quality, while the HomePod is built with more dedicated physical elements, including an array of microphones, for its sound.
Both devices use Siri for voice support, both can leverage HomeKit for smart device control, and both can use features like using the speakers as an intercom.
But when it comes to the HomePod versus the HomePod Mini, Apple seems to be saying the smaller, cheaper version is the direction it wants to focus on right now. HomePod will continue to receive software updates, and will also be eligible for support through AppleCare. Those keen to pick up the HomePod can still go to Apple’s website, in white only, “while supplies last,” Apple says.


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LinkedIn is adding a number of customization and discovery options to its mobile app to help you get the most out of your feed.
Having unveiled a number of upcoming changes to its platform last month, the social network is pushing ahead with its emphasis on news. Today’s update brings with it three new features, including a read-it-later function that should cause concern for bookmarking apps such as Pocket.
In terms of personalization, the LinkedIn app now allows you to fine-tune your interests (similar to the steps you’d take when setting up a news app, such as Apple News, or Google News). You can customize your feed by picking the type of topics you’d like to see more of, the leaders you want to follow, and the publications you’d like to read.
Additionally, you can now mute connections you don’t find interesting (or that simply share too much) by hiding or unfollowing them. All of these options can be accessed by tapping the three dots above a LinkedIn post.
The main attraction, for news junkies, is the “save for later” feature. When you update the LinkedIn app, you’ll notice a new bookmark icon on the bottom right of every article — all you have to do is tap it to save that post to read later. The “highly requested” function allows LinkedIn’s busy users to conveniently access lengthier stories when they have the free time to read them. Everything you bookmark will be stored in the “Me” tab under saved articles.
LinkedIn has also updated its search tab to allow you to discover content related to your interests. You can now explore articles based on topics — such as management tips or the latest news on artificial intelligence — and hashtags. Like the aforementioned mute feature, the expanded search option brings the app closer to its news-centric social media rival, Twitter, which is ablaze with finance chatter on most days. However, LinkedIn has the added advantage of its stable of influencers (from business leaders such as Richard Branson to heads of state such as Indian PM Narendra Modi) who provide original content, both via text and video posts.
“Delivering smart content directly to your mobile phone that’s ready to read when you are is just one of the ways LinkedIn can help you be your best professional self — all you need to do is tap,” writes Jeff Birkeland, LinkedIn’s director of product.
- Samsung’s One UI 5 beta is already available for some Galaxy S22 owners
- Twitter profiles for businesses just got way more useful
- YouTube may finally loosen its rigid rules around copyrighted music
- Remember Yelp? It’s back with a brand new app design
- Discord is making its Android app more like iOS, and in a good way


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- 1 day ago Volvo XC40 T4 R-Design Petrol Launched In India At Rs 39.90 Lakh, Ex-Showroom
- 1 day ago Yamaha YZF R15 V3.0 BS-VI Models Begin Reaching Dealerships Across India
- 2 days ago New (2020) Suzuki Hayabusa Launched In India: Priced At Rs 13.75 Lakh
- 2 days ago Porsche Cayenne Coupe Launched In India: Prices Start At Rs 1.31 Crore
- News Quick thinking: How Amit Shah’s top men handled Assam during CAA protests
- Technology Alleged Oppo Reno 3 Live Photos Reveal Key Specs
- Sports IPL 2020: Five West Indies players who can trigger bidding war in auction
- Movies Farhan Akhtar's Savage Comeback To A Troll: Will Ask David Dhawan To Cast You In 'Bigot No 1'
- Finance RIL’s Subsidiary Signs Investment Deal Of Rs 25,000 Cr With Canada’s Brookfield
- Lifestyle What Is The Importance Of Premarital Health Checkups?
- Travel How Christmas Is Celebrated In Different Parts Of India
- Education AIIMS BSc Nursing 2020 Registration Process Started
Volkswagen India is all set to introduce its all-new T-Roc SUV in the market during the 2020 Auto Expo. According to carandbike, the new Volkswagen T-Roc SUV was first scheduled to go on sale in India in December this year. However, the German brand has delayed the launch by 2 months.
The launch of the Volkswagen T-Roc in India is part of the brand's aggressive sales strategy for 2020. Volkswagen will be introducing a host of SUVs in the Indian market in the coming year, starting with the T-Roc.
The Volkswagen T-Roc will be positioned in the mid-size SUV segment, rivalling the likes of the Jeep Compass, Kia Seltos, MG Hector and the Hyundai Creta. However, the T-Roc will be imported into India as a CBU (Completely Built Unit) initially and will hence not be looking at volume sales in the country.
The company will use the government's revised homologation rule to import the T-Roc SUV to the Indian market. The government currently allows 2500 cars from each manufacturer to be imported annually, without the need for homologation.
The brand is expected to launch a much more localised version of the T-Roc in the Indian market, sometime in June-2020. The new heavily localised model will also feature a new engine specifically made in India — the 1.0-litre TSI petrol unit.
Initially, the imported model which will arrive at the 2020 Auto Expo will be powered by a larger 1.5-litre turbocharged TSI petrol engine. This engine will be mated to a seven-speed
Once launched in India, the Volkswagen T-Roc will be available in a single fully-loaded variant. It will feature a host of premium equipment, making very attractive premium offerings from the brand in India.
The Volkswagen T-Roc SUV is also part of the brand's ‘India 2.0 Project'. Under this, the company will introduce a host of new products in the Indian market, with Skoda taking charge of operations.
In India, both Skoda and Volkswagen have already merged to form a single entity — Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd. The merger will see the two companies work together more closely in the Indian market, aiming to acquire a significant market share in India by 2025.
Thoughts On The Volkswagen T-Roc SUV India Launch Details
The Volkswagen T-Roc will be the first of many SUVs set to be introduced in India. The company has already confirmed the arrival of the Tiguan AllSpace (a 7-seater version of the Tiguan) and the Skoda Karoq. Once launched in India, expect the Volkswagen T-Roc to be priced in the range of Rs 18 - 19 lakh, ex-showroom.


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Diesel could drop to £1 a litre as fuel price war reignites: Morrisons set to slash cost by 4p as supermarket battle intensifies
- Morrisons will become latest firm to cut fuel costs as diesel falls to 107p
- Reduction will reignite price war which has driven down cost of diesel
- Rivals Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have also slashed prices recently
- Diesel fell below cost of unleaded petrol in July for first time in 14 years
Diesel could fall to £1 a litre for the first time in six years this summer as Britain’s supermarket price war intensifies, experts claim.
Today, Morrisons will become the latest firm to cut its fuel costs, slashing its diesel prices by 4p to around 107p a litre. It will also cut its petrol prices by 1p to an average of 112p a litre.
The reduction will reignite the price war which has driven down the cost of diesel in recent weeks – giving Britain’s hauliers and holidaymakers a boost.
Checking the price: The reduction will reignite the price war which has driven down the cost of diesel in recent weeks – giving Britain’s hauliers and holidaymakers a boost (file picture)
Rivals Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have also slashed prices in recent weeks. At the end of July, a fall in global oil prices pushed diesel below the cost of unleaded petrol for the first time in 14 years.
The RAC now predicts that the average UK pump price could drop to £1 a litre for the first time since 2009, as worldwide supply outstrips demand, bringing down wholesale costs.
It comes as crude oil dipped below $50 a barrel last week, less than half its level last summer. This was driven by record production in Saudi Arabia, which opened two new oil refineries this year, as well as slowing growth in China.
Simon Williams, the RAC’s fuel spokesman, said falling diesel prices were ‘great news for motorists and holidaymakers’.
Going down: Today, Morrisons (pictured in 2012) will become the latest firm to cut its fuel costs, slashing its diesel prices by 4p to around 107p a litre. It will also cut its petrol prices by 1p to an average of 112p a litre
According to the RAC, the average price for diesel is currently 114.6p a litre, and slightly higher at 115.9p a litre for petrol.
Mr Williams said: ‘With an abundance of diesel, lower wholesale oil prices and the relatively strong pound against the dollar, there is a real prospect we will see diesel at £1 a litre.
‘We would like to think that prices will now keep falling over the next few weeks as retailers pass on the savings in wholesale prices.
‘At the moment, there is too much diesel being produced for the global demand, so prices should keep falling until they cut production, which hasn’t happened so far.’
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It’s only been four months since E3 2023 was cancelled after Microsoft and Bethesda, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Sega, and Tencent all either declined to appear, or pulled out at the last minute. And yet Microsoft and Bethesda, Nintendo, Ubisoft, and Sega are all confirmed to be attending this year’s gamescom expo in Cologne, Germany.
Amazon Games, Bandai Namco, Devolver Digital, The Lego Group, and Team17 are among the other publishers heading to the event, which will take place between Wednesday, 23rd and Sunday, 27th August.
It’ll be interesting to see what everyone shows off at the ‘con — so we can take part in some enjoyable speculation about whether their big E3 reveals just weren’t going to be ready in time, or they didn’t have anything big to reveal, or maybe they’ve just lost confidence in the whole concept of E3.
Speaking of “big things to reveal”, the so-called-Nintendo Switch 2 rumours have bubbled up again, seemingly thanks to fellow UK-based gaming blog startmenu. They claim an industry source, who “is in regular contact with multiple studios and platform holders across the industry, told startmenu that Nintendo plans to announce a follow-up to the Switch ‘at Gamescom.'”
Meanwhile, VGC and Eurogamer are reporting Nintendo’s Switch successor will be landing in the latter half of 2024, will have an LCD screen to keep costs down, and will continue to use proprietary cartridges for physical game releases.


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Checking out Microsoft’s website home page of “Microsoft Security” (an oxymoron if there ever was one), MacDailyNews reader “MadMac” noticed that the image Microsoft is using next to the caption “Click. You’re clean.” is an Apple Mac!
Hey, with an Apple Mac, you don’t even have to click, you’re clean regardless!
We checked it out and “MadMac” is right! We found the image over on Fotosearch Stock Photography (#1734045) and zoomed in via Fotosearch’s handy online Image Zoom tool and identified the model as an Apple 15-inch PowerBook G4 based upon speaker grill width, port placement, and screen hinge reveal. Microsoft seems to have pasted a fullscreen shot of their “security” site onto the PowerBook’s screen.
MacDailyNews Take: Hey, Microsoft, if you’re going to pretend to be serious about security, shouldn’t you use a picture of a Dell or HP or something instead of reminding people about the truly secure Apple Macintosh?
[UPDATE: 11:58pm EDT: Microsoft has now changed the artwork on the page. It is now a mother and child checking their laptop, a laptop that looks like an Apple 12-inch PowerBook with the white Apple removed. – Thanks, Qka.]
Microsoft Windows five times more expensive for users than Apple’s Mac OS X – August 15, 2006
Chicago Tribune falls for the ‘Security Via Obscurity’ myth – August 14, 2006
Oxymoron: Microsoft security – August 12, 2006
With exploits in wild, Microsoft Windows braces for yet another critical worm attack – August 11, 2006
US Department of Homeland Security: patch Microsoft Windows now or risk complete system compromise – August 10, 2006
Get a Mac: Viruses, spyware cost U.S. consumers $7.8 billion over last two years – August 08, 2006
Microsoft’s oft-delayed, much-pared-down Windows Vista hacked at Black Hat – August 07, 2006
Ballmer analyzes Microsoft’s One Big Mistake, Vista… er, ‘One Big’ Vista Mistake – August 02, 2006
Symantec details more security holes in Microsoft’s Windows Vista – July 26, 2006
Symantec researcher: At this time, there are no file-infecting viruses that can infect Mac OS X – July 13, 2006
Sophos: Apple Mac OS X’s security record unscathed; Windows Vista malware just a matter of time – July 07, 2006
Sophos Security: Dump Windows, Get a Mac – July 05, 2006
What Microsoft has chopped from Windows Vista, and when – June 27, 2006
Apple: ‘Get a Mac. Say ‘Buh-Bye’ to viruses’ – June 01, 2006
Microsoft: recovery from Windows malware becoming impossible; better to to wipe and rebuild – April 04, 2006
Windows virus threatens 170-year-old Toledo newspaper’s perfect record, Apple Macs save the day – January 27, 2006
Security company Sophos: Apple Mac the best route for security for the masses – December 06, 2005
Hackers already targeting viruses for Microsoft’s Windows Vista – August 04, 2005
16-percent of computer users are unaffected by viruses, malware because they use Apple Macs – June 15, 2005


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Discovery could unlock oceans of lithium
New process efficiently harvests battery metal from seawater Metal Tech News – June 9, 2021
Last updated 7/10/2022 at 3:21pm
Driven largely by the increased production of electric vehicles, the demand for lithium has more than doubled since 2015 and is forecast to expand by another seven times to around 2.8 million metric tons per year by 2030.
Predicting this soaring demand will exhaust land-based lithium reserves by 2080, researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology in Saudi Arabia have...


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Why should you care about the continual engineering of Bluetooth? Because it could be helping your automated factory very soon. Bluetooth is about to have twice the speed it previously did and it will also have four times the range. They're calling it Bluetooth 5. The announcement comes from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. The group says that the new iteration of the technology would assist in accelerating "industries such as industrial automation, smart infrastructure, smart homes and location-based services."
Mark Powell, Bluetooth SIG executive director, said: "By adding significantly more capacity to advertising transmissions, Bluetooth 5 will further propel the adoption and deployment of beacons and location-based services to users around the world. It's a great story and one we're looking forward to telling from our upcoming media event in London on June 16."
The group is confident that Bluetooth will factor into the Internet of Things in a big way. Bluetooth wireless technologies are reportedly already being used as a preference of communication between sensors in some factories. A group named IMS Research published a report that revealed Bluetooth technology accounted for "more than half of all wireless-enabled industrial automation equipment shipped in 2012." The report concluded that 22 percent of the market used Bluetooth technologies and 31 percent used WLAN solutions. Now, with the advancement of Bluetooth, the number of automated industrial complexes using the technology could grow.
Information Week reports that 3 billion devices sent out per year have the Bluetooth technology built into them.


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The Sensible Facebook Collections: “Facebook Inc.’s new feature, Facebook Collections, offers brands a new avenue to expand into the appetising world of online social shopping. Alina Kulesh discusses how brands can benefits and why some should stay far away.” (The Genteel)
Facebook recently tested a new featured called Facebook Collections, I wrote about it here. Facebook announced that they are done testing the new feature shortly after the article was published. They also haven’t followed up on this testing–is Facebook Collections a go or a no?
Until further notice, I stand by my opinion that Facebook Collections is just a more sensible version of the Beacon. If Facebook Collections is a go, could this be the end of Amazon and / or eBay?
What are your thoughts?


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A video of a PureEV electric scooter catching fire was shared by Sumant Banerji of Economic Times on Twitter. The incidents occurs just days after the Ola electric scooter and Okinawa Autotech electric scooter caught fire. It is raising questions about the safety of electric vehicles.
The center on March 28 decided to depute a team of independent experts to investigate two incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fire, CNBC-TV18 reported, quoting government sources. While the Ola electric scooter caught fire in Pune, the Okinawa two-wheeler caught fire in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore.
Another one…Its spreading like a wild #Fire .
After #Ola & #okinawa #electric scooter from #PureEV catches fire in Chennai.
Thats the 4th incident in 4 days..
The heat is on.#ElectricVehicles #OLAFIRE #lithiumhttps://t.co/pFJFb7uKD7 pic.twitter.com/jJqWA48CNf
— Sumant Banerji (@sumantbanerji) March 29, 2022
The experts will travel to Vellore and Pune to probe whether structural or external factors have caused the fire in the Ola electric scooter and the Okinawa electric bike. Notably, both two-wheelers had been tested and received type approvals before they were launched. The investigators will try to find out if there is a manufacturing defect that affected their operation. According to a Reuters report, lithium-ion batteries (used in the Ola scooters), whether used in electric vehicles or electronic devices, can catch fire if they have been improperly manufactured or damaged, or if the software that operates the battery is not designed correctly.
Softbank Group-backed Ola Electric said last week that it has also launched an investigation to find out what is causing the electric scooters to catch fire. Ola launched the probe after a Twitter user from Pune shared a video of his Ola scooter bursting into flames. Responding to it, the company had said in a statement: “We are aware of an incident in Pune that happened with one of our scooters and are investigating to understand the root cause and will share more updates in the next few days.” The customer is absolutely safe, the company added.
Hormazd Sorabjee, the editor of automobile magazine Autocar India, said the incident highlights safety issues with batteries. “ Ola Electric must investigate and give us answers. Thank God no one (was) injured.”
Meanwhile, Ola emphasized that safety was its top priority.
“We are aware of an incident in Pune that happened with one of our scooters and are investigating to understand the root cause and will share more updates in the next few days,” the company said. “We take this incident seriously and will take appropriate action and share more in the coming days.”
Safety is top priority. We’re investigating this and will fix it. https://t.co/HsTFh4cbhw
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) March 26, 2022
For the PureEV incident, several suspected that overheating of the battery could have led to the incident. “Looks like EV bikes are not well tested for Indian summer. Repeated incidents like these will shake the confidence of consumers in EV bikes,” Tushar Gokhale tweeted.
Credits- Money Control


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You’ve likely driven past legendary scientist Nikola Tesla’s lab in Shoreham many times in the past.
And it’s even more likely you’ve never set foot on the lab’s grounds.
You can change all that from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 25.
The laboratory, which is being rebuilt into a museum, learning center and business incubator, will open to the public for those three hours that afternoon, when a group of up to 30 Tesla car owners from the mid-Atlantic region are expected to visit and volunteer in cleanup efforts.
Event organizers have billed it as the first time the public has ever been allowed to tour the historic lab’s grounds located off Route 25A at the end of Tesla Street.
Visitors will be invited to view the historic Stanford White brick laboratory up close and learn about the goals of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe through videos and short talks by members of the board of directors.
“We will show you what Tesla did a century ago and how it affects our lives every day,” Tesla Science Center president Jane Alcorn said in a press release. “Our board will be on hand to explain the future plans for Wardenclyffe, and describe how the public can get involved.”
There will also be a meet and greet with the owners of the Tesla electric cars.
“My car is a pure delight and we go everywhere in it,” said event organizer Jim Thompson. “I believe this is the future.”


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The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in collaboration with the CAREC Institute, CAREC Customs Cooperation Committee (CCC), the South Asia Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program and the Ministry of Finance of Georgia have organized an Inter-Sub-Regional Knowledge Sharing Forum on Trade Facilitation and Customs Modernization during 31 October – 2 November 2019 in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The forum aimed to share knowledge, experience, and best practices on challenging aspects of trade facilitation reform and modernization facing CAREC and SASEC customs administrations, with special emphasis on overland trade, including areas such as transit systems and facilitation, joint border controls, regional improvement of border services, and private sector involvement. The participants deliberated about the critical success factors of trade facilitation measures for efficient trade flow, resource allocation, and improved regional cooperation.
In addition to the forum, the SASEC held its annual meeting while the CAREC CCC conducted an inter-sessional meeting to (i) discuss pending follow-up actions to the 18th Meeting of the CCC, and finalize the CCC action plan; (ii) discuss monitoring schemes/framework for updating progress in CCC priority areas and implementation of the provisions of the WTO TFA; and (iii) agree on plans to showcase the work of the CCC to mark the 20th anniversary of the CAREC Program.
Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev, CAREC Institute Deputy Director, presented the Institute’s ongoing and planned research on e-commerce and SPS e-certification as it relates to customs cooperation. In addition, he presented the transition plan for the CAREC Corridor Performance Measurement and Monitoring (CPMM) mechanism from the ADB to CAREC Institute for 2020-2021.


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The official Hitman: Absolution Tumblr has confirmed that the stealth-based shooter will no longer require an online pass to access the game’s Contracts mode.
Originally gamers were required to input a single-user Contracts Pass Code that shipped with new copies of the game. However, the system has now been scrapped and players can download the code for free.
“We'd actually planned to have this mode accessible via a code in the game's box," the post reads, "but we really want to make it available to anybody that plays the game – so we want to take a new approach.”
Hitman: Absolution owners in the U.S. can access the mode right from the game’s main menu. For everyone else, you’ll have to download the pass by redeeming the code or grabbing it via PlayStation Network or Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
Check out our review of Hitman: Absolution here.


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BRU’s Quintelier joins Air Cargo Tech Summit 2023
The Air Cargo Next editorial team is pleased to announce that Sam Quintelier, senior business and network development manager at Brussels Airport Company, will join the panel discussion “Digital records go mainstream: Best practices for the air cargo ecosystem” at the Air Cargo Tech Summit 2023, taking place Sept. 18-19 in Brussels.
The panel session will begin at 1:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
View the full agenda here.
The panel will discuss where the industry stands with e-air waybills, how digital customs clearance platforms can cut expenses and the need for collaboration with global regulators to streamline digital record adoption.
“Digitalizing air waybills, customs and records is of utmost importance to the industry for several reasons,” Quintelier told Air Cargo Next. Benefits he listed include:
- Enhanced efficiency and speed from reducing or even eliminating manual paperwork;
- Cost savings from eliminating paper costs and employee hours; and
- Improved accuracy from automating data validation and reducing human error.
“Despite the compelling benefits, some industry players may be hesitant to embrace digitalization due to concerns about some disruptions to their existing processes, which could eat into their margins,” he said. “However, the long-term advantages of digitalization should outweigh these short-term challenges. Encouraging collaborations, offering incentives and providing training programs can help businesses overcome resistance to change and fully leverage the benefits of digital transformation.”
At Brussels Airport (BRU), Quintelier focuses on perishable and live animal transportation logistics. He helped develop and launch the Animal Care & Inspection Centre at BRU and liaises with regulatory bodies such as Belgium’s Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain and customs.
Air Cargo Tech Summit 2023 will provide two days of discussions, panel conversations and networking events with experts in the airfreight industry. Some topics to be addressed include digital booking, innovations in ground handling and warehousing, digital records, drones and much more.


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Close to 500 head of cattle were yarded during the 24th Annual Dunedoo Shorthorn Cattle Sale with about 300 of those on offer being Shorthorns.
The sale on Wednesday was held at the Dunedoo saleyards and conducted by local agents Milling Stuart Pty Ltd.
Weaner steers ranged from $390 to $680 a head, while heifers sold from $510 to $730.
Milling Stuart agent Jamie Stuart, Dunedoo, said cows with calves sold well.
"I thought the cows with calves sold very well to repeat buyers and the heifers and the weaner steers were tough enough to sell but it's just the way the market is at the moment," Mr Stuart said.
Stirling and Belinda Fergusson, Moreton Bay, Dunedoo, sold a draft of two-year-old Shorthorn cows with their first calves to $1675 a unit.
Peter and Katrina Yeo, Burrgoen, Mendooran, were the buyers of the Turanville-blood cows with calves.
Pemcaw and Company, Dunedoo, sold a draft of two-year-old cows with first calves to D and K Nutt, Merriwa, for $1475.
Pemcaw also sold a pen of 13 Shorthorn heifers which made $730.
A number of Shorthorn bulls were also offered at the sale.
Barana Pastoral, Coolah, offered Barana Shorthorns Salvator S12, who weighed in at 935 kilograms and sold for $4000. Doolibah Shorthorns, Bunnan, sold 720kg Doolibah Usher S39 for $4000, along with 670kg Doolibah Usher S15 for $4000 as well.
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While the likes of Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors will continue to make their presence felt, notable absentees from the expo will be Honda, BMW and Ford among others.
As per schedule shared by the organisers Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and industry body CII, the motor show will be open to public from February 7-12, 2020.
While February 5 will be reserved for exclusive media preview, February 6 will be reserved for official inaugural ceremony besides preview for media and special guests.
According to industry sources companies from China such as Great Wall Motor Company and First Automotive Works (FAW) will participate for the first time along with MG Motors India. They will share the stage with Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, M&M, Tata Motors and Kia among others.
After skipping the 2018 edition, Skoda and Volkswagen brand will also make a comeback at the expo.
Notable absentees from the expo are Honda, which has decided to skip the event with its future product disclosure timing not matching with the expo, BMW and Ford.
Audi, Lexus, Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover are also reportedly not participating in the Auto Expo 2020.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- Centre Agrees to Convert Vi Interest on Dues into Equity
The government has agreed to convert Vodafone Idea’s accrued interest worth over ₹16,000 crore on deferred adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues into equity at ₹10 a share.D-St Indices Jump; Some Adani Stocks End in Green
“This week was very tough for the Indian markets with so many events but the markets appear to have started absorbing a lot of bad news, especially surrounding the Adani Group,” said B Gopkumar, MD and CEO of Axis Securities.Adani Group may Shelve Plans to Raise $500 m via Overseas Bonds
The Adani Group is likely to shelve its plans to raise close to $500 million via international bonds and will explore other refinancing options, including partially paying the outstanding from internal accruals, to refinance the first tranche of the $4.5 billion debt taken from a clutch of global banks to acquire ACC and Ambuja Cements last year, said two people directly aware of the matter.
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As part of its global strategy to expand its presence near research centers and growth markets, Zeiss announced this week the completion of its Zeiss Innovation Center, a new facility located in the San Francisco Bay area. The site will serve as an R&D, production, sales and customer service, bringing ...
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